Simple Test May Help Predict Hospital Patients At Risk For Delirium.

HealthDay (8/9, Preidt) reports that a “simple test” may help predict hospital patients at risk for delirium, according to a study published online Aug. 7 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. In a study involving 374 hospital patients over the age of 50, researchers tested a new tool “called AWOL, which stands for age (A), unable to spell ‘world’ backward (W), not fully oriented to place (O), and moderate to severe illness (L).” Those patients whose AWOL scores were higher had a higher likelihood of developing delirium. The study suggested that patients with higher AWOL scores could “receive specialized care” to prevent them from becoming delirious.